Panem et Circenses
by Megkazul
Summary: This has absolutly nothing to do with the Roman gladiators and it is in English; it's about Trowa and the circus... contains a little bit of 3x5 yaoi


Warnings: descriptions of blood, mild 3x5 yaoi, and some implied stuff  
  
Note: As far as I know, all straight has been eradicated from this fic, and there is absolutely no yuri.  
  
A Little History:  
- "Panem et circenses" refers to the Roman gladiatorial games; it is Latin for "bread and circuses."  
- The gladiators would say "Ave, imperator, morituri te salutant!" meaning "Hail, emperor, those about to die salute you!"  
- The crowd would shout "Verbera!" ("Thrash him!"), "Iugula!" ("Murder him!"), "Hoc habet!" ("He's hit!"), and "Mitte!" ("Let him go!") as the games went on.  
  
Panem et Circenses  
by Megkazul  
  
Knife in hand, Cathrine glared at the clown in front of her. She could hit him if she liked, it was missing him that was so hard, that required such intense concentration. Frankly, she was sick of him, she had tried to raise him, tried to make him into a good clown, but Trowa never learned. He had a cold, dark blanket wrapped around his heart, one that he hid well. For a long time she had never know it was there, and took no notice of the way children would shy away from him, whimpering and clutching their parents as their cute little faces would pale...  
  
No, Trowa was no ordinary circus boy, under that mask, his personality was that of cold-blooded killer. She had always wondered why he was so quiet, why he would suddenly disappear only to return again in a few days without any explanation. But last night had been a real eye-opener; now she knew what he was, she knew he had never been that sweet little boy he pretended to be. He had inadvertently revealed his nature to his loving sister, and now she fought with herself. She wanted to do it, she had thrown that gleaming weapon at him hundreds of times before; this time would be no different  
  
~...* Fade Out *...~  
  
::the world turns to mist as we are swallowed up by a passing flashback::  
  
~...* Fade In *...~  
  
Cathrine absentmindedly sharpened a blade as she watched the customers coming in.  
  
"Daddy, Daddy! I want some cotton candy! Can we get cotton candy?? Please!!!" a small boy with dark brown eyes and hair tugged eagerly on his father's coat.  
  
"I don't know Jason..." the father's blue eyes sparkled as he looked at his son.  
  
"Pretty please with a poka-dotted cherry on top?!!" the boy jumped up and down excitedly, pulling on his father's coat so hard that it began to slip off, reveling a thin gold chain about the man's neck, which held, not a cross, but a beautiful six-pointed star with an almost transparent, deep blue marble set in the middle.  
  
"Hey now, easy on the threads; I'll get you some cotton candy." Pulling his coat back on, Jason's father stepped over to a nearby food stand, getting the boy a big stick of puffy pink sugar.  
  
"Yay!!" Jason's dark eyes expanded to twice their normal size as he looked down at the sugar in his hand. Within a few milliseconds, Jason had plunged his face into the pink stuff. At that point, they passed beyond Cathrine's view; a gooey pink blob and his father, going to see the circus.  
  
~...* Skip ahead to that night, long after the last show is over *...~  
  
*Chirrrp, chiiiip, chirrp* [The musical calls of crickets/locusts/frogs can be heard echoing through the night.]  
  
"ZzzzzZzzZZzzzz..."  
  
*...silence...* Cathrine blinked and looked around, wondering what had awakened her. //Huh? What's that?// Wrapping a blanket around her body, she went out into the night to check it out. The first thing she saw was a dark figure silhouetted against the moonlight. Recognizing it as Trowa, she was about to call out to him when she saw him raise a gun. //Where did he get that...?//  
  
"I'll give you to the count of three to tell me who sent you."  
  
Squinting, Cathrine thought she saw two blue eyes suddenly widen with fear.  
  
"1..."  
  
Cathrine heard a small click as Trowa cocked the gun.  
  
"2..."  
  
//He wouldn't! Not Trowa!//  
  
"3..."  
  
A deafening noise cracked thunderously through the night and a body fell, lifeless, to the ground. Cathrine saw Trowa kick the corpse angrily as he turned away, disappearing into the darkness.  
  
A fiery light began to dance among the tents as the torches of awakening circus personnel were lit. Cathrine ran toward Trowa's victim, oblivious to the sleepy calls of the stirring camp around her. Upon reaching him, Cathrine was mortified. The man's face had been completely destroyed by the gunshot and he was lying somewhat crooked. //I had no idea Trowa was that strong!// Where Trowa had kicked him, the man's spine was obviously broken and several ribs had broken free; they stuck out of his chest like so many daggers... [Cathrine zones out for a second, apparently dreaming of her knives.] The man's clothes and the grass around him were completely soaked in blood. Cathrine began to search through his pockets, hoping to find some sort of identification. She found nothing in his pants' pocket (which she searched very carefully, having an ecchi liking for helpless men), nor in his outer coat pockets, but sticking her hand into his coat, she struck something sharp. At first she feared it was another broken rib, but a closer examination reveled it to be a golden pendant, the same six pointed star she had seen Jason's father wearing. Somewhere nearby a small boy cries for a father that will never come home.  
  
~...* Flashback Dies *...~  
  
::mist clears, reveling a sharpened knife held by a tense feminine hand::  
  
Cathrine studied her target, looking for the most vulnerable spot. //No, not THAT spot!// Cathrine's gaze moved upward. //He deserves to die; I need to kill him, not just cripple him.// Aiming for Trowa's heart, she threw the dagger with a simple flick of the wrist.  
  
"Baka woman!" The new Chinese acrobat fell out of the sky to land directly in the path of the dagger.  
  
~...* Pause *...~  
  
Dead Guy (Jason's father): Hey! Where did Wufei come from?! He can't be in this fic!  
Cathrine: Yes he can. He's the new acrobat, remember?  
Dead Guy: Since when?!  
Trowa: Since now.  
  
~...* Unpause *...~  
  
The new acrobat is standing... wait a second!!  
  
~...* Pause again *...~  
  
Wufei: But it's just getting to the good part! Who paused it?!  
Trowa: I did.  
Wufei: Why?!  
Trowa: This scene can't be properly appreciated without some more explanation. ::addresses the audience/readers:: It is important to have a clear picture of the characters in mind. Do any of you know what Wufei looks like now?  
Wufei: ::wearing nothing but skintight black spandex that "covers" everything below his neck::  
Jason: Wufei's nakie!  
Trowa: Exactly.  
Wufei: ::blushes::  
  
~...* Unpause *...~  
  
The knife continued on its path, digging deep into the flesh just below the acrobat's left shoulder.  
  
"Baka... woman," he repeated, gasping.  
  
Cathrine was furious at the boy for saving Trowa, but she tried to feign concern. The acrobat was obviously in a lot of pain as he fell to his knees, pulling the dagger out of his wound as he fell. She ran over to see if he was all right, but was stopped halfway by a bloody dagger.  
  
"Stay away woman! You're getting in... over your head."  
  
~...* Pause *...~  
  
Wufei: ::still dressed in spandex:: This is outrageous! Why does a woman get to narrate my fic?!  
Cathrine: Your fic?! This is my fic!  
Wufei: Like anybody cares about you! You're lucky to even be in this fic!  
Cathrine: ::turns to Trowa:: Tell him this is my fic!  
Trowa: You tried to kill me!  
Wufei: Onnanohito no baka wa... Now may I narrate?  
Trowa: ::pulls out a gun and points it at Wufei:: No. Mine.  
  
~...* Unpause *...~  
  
Trowa looked down at the injured boy kneeling before him. He was Chinese, with black hair, black eyes, and black spandex. Trowa had never seen this particular acrobat before, but he was obviously good, considering the speed and agility with which he had placed himself before the knife. //Why did he save me?// Trowa narrowed his eyes. //Was he the one that sent that spy after me?//  
  
"Uuuurg." The Chinese boy grunted as he tried to stand up. He made slow progress, but eventually the acrobat staggered to his feet. Trowa's eyes widened as he observed the pain and determination in the boy's own black eyes. His black spandex had become even darker, stained with blood. His entire left side was gleaming wet. The acrobat's hand and the ground below him were both crimson. He was standing up now, but the effort had exhausted him. His eyes met Trowa's for a second, and then, unable to support himself any longer, he fell forward to lean against Trowa.  
  
Surprised, Trowa removed his mask and looked down at the boy on his shoulder. The Chinese boy was grimacing with pain as he fought to catch his breath. He could feel the boy's chest heaving with harsh, irregular breathing.  
  
"Why did you...?"  
  
"I couldn't... *cough* ...let her... kill you."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because I must... I must kill you."  
  
"...?"  
  
"I... promised Nataku I'd... do it myself."  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"Call me... Wufei, Chang Wufei."  
  
//Oh no, I'm really in trouble now; he's going to kill me! O.o// The whole situation amused Trowa. Other than the discovery that his sister was trying to murder him, it really was quite amusing. He had a half-dead boy in spandex that was too weak to stand up, yet he was threatening to kill him. And the audience! The audience was being so ridiculously stupid that not one of them even noticed anything unusual; they all thought this was part of the act. //I wonder how far this could go before they'd realize...?// Deciding to find out, Trowa smirked and looked down at the bloody acrobat. //He's so helpless...//  
  
Using one arm to support Wufei and the other to tilt his chin upward, Trowa looked into Wufei's black eyes. They were glazed over with pain; Trowa could read nothing but suffering in their depths. As he stared into those eyes, Trowa's heart wrenched with guilt and an intense pain he had never felt before. He lowered his head and ran his tongue along the boy's lip before sticking it inside Wufei's mouth and kissing him gently. //No response...// Trowa removed his tongue from Wufei's mouth.  
  
~...* Everything is clouded by pain as we momentarily slip into Wufei's head *...~  
  
//Woman... how dare she do this to me?//  
//Knives do not belong in the hands of the weak and foolish...//  
//I can survive... I will conquer...//  
//...plans...shattered.//  
//My agent... dead...//  
//The pain...//  
//Trowa Barton must die... Nataku, I will kill him... for you.//  
  
~...* Wufei fades into unconsciousness and the story reverts to Trowa *...~  
  
Trowa picked up Wufei and began to carry him out of the tent with a look on his face that dared anybody to try and stop him. Needless to say, nobody did. He brought the boy to his room to bandage his wound. Trowa frowned. //That spandex has got to go.// It was clinging to Wufei like a second skin, making it almost impossible for Trowa to reach the wound. He looked around, and finding a knife (one of Cathrine's) that had followed Trowa into his room, proceeded to cut the spandex away. He sliced right down the middle of the already ruined acrobat's outfit and removed the extra cloth, baring the boy's chest. //Wow... are mere acrobats allowed to be this beautiful?// Even covered with blood, the boy was remarkably handsome. Trowa glanced around, hoping to find something to clean the wound with, but there was nothing in site. He was considering other options when Wufei began to stir.  
  
"Grr..." Wufei growled and looked like he might try to attack.  
  
"Don't move. This wound needs tending to." Trowa focused his attention on Wufei's bloody shoulder.  
  
"I don't need your help." Wufei started to get up.  
  
"You do need help and I'm going to give it to you whether you like it or not," Trowa said, pushing Wufei down and touching the raw flesh of the wound with one finger to get his point across. He smiled as Wufei's face twisted with pain at that simple movement.  
  
"%#$*&@!!!!"  
  
~...* Wufei and Trowa make friends and decide to share the narration from here on in *...~  
  
Trowa's eyes widened. "That didn't hurt did it?"  
  
Wufei glared at him with a look of pure hatred.  
  
"Don't worry; I'll make it feel better." Trowa leaned over the angry boy and began to caress Wufei's wound with his tongue  
  
Wufei looked down at Trowa in surprise. //Where did that come from?// Trowa's tongue was deceptively soft and though he hated to admit it, it felt really good. //Damn.//  
  
Trowa was also finding the experience quite enjoyable. The unique taste of blood and salt on his tongue was intoxicating, and he eagerly continued until he noticed Wufei's body reacting to his ministrations. //So he likes this, eh?// Trowa snaked up to Wufei's mouth and began to kiss him passionately.  
  
//This is my chance.// While the green eyed boy was distracted by the kiss, Wufei's hand explored the ground around him until his fingers found the hilt of the dagger Trowa had carelessly left within reach. Making as if to hug the boy on top of him, Wufei wrapped his arms around Trowa, positioning the knife between his shoulder blades. //Easy as pie.// Wufei brought the knife down swiftly. //Finally! That nuisance is gone.// Trowa's kiss stopped suddenly and the boy's eyes widened. Wufei grinned back at him, watching as Trowa's goofy clown clothes fell off, shredded by his knife. //That's better.// Wufei grabbed the astounded boy above him and yanked him down for the best sex of his life.  
  
~...* Owari *...~  
  
Trowa: ::dazed:: That was great.  
Wufei: Oh yeah.  
Cathrine: ?! That is so not the ending! Don't tell me that's the ending!  
Wufei: ::smiles happily:: We can keep going if you like...  
Cathrine: ...What about Nataku?! I thought you were going to kill Trowa!  
Wufei: Screw Nataku, I'd rather have Trowa.  
Cathrine: !! ::imagines herself screwing Nataku:: ...ew...  
Nataku: Come 'ere baby...  
Cathrine: ::tries to ignore the horny talking Gundam:: ...but...but what about Jason?  
Trowa: Oh, don't worry about him.  
Cathrine: ::suspicious:: Why not?  
Trowa: ::shrugs:: ...because I killed him.  
Cathrine: What?! A child?! ...how did you do it?  
Trowa: Well first I... and then I...  
Jason: That part was fun!  
Trowa: Yeah, and then he... so I... and then finally I...  
Wufei: ::pales::  
Cathrine: ::chokes::  
Jason: ::grins::  
  
Author's Note: Oh wow... you have no idea how much fun that was to write... maybe I'm getting the hang of this. Please review, I need to know what readers like... is this a good style? Ok, do have to define anything? ::looks through fic:: Oh yeah... "ecchi" that's a Japanese word meaning "naughty" ::grins demonically:: And that line where Wufei says "Onnanohito no baka," you can probably figure that one out yourself, but he's pretty much just saying "a woman's stupidity." Anyway, give me your opinion in a review. 


End file.
